4 - Friday, October 11, 1985 - We're THE BEACON HILL incident has become a symbol, hasn’t it? strictly personal by Bob Hunter SCE ET We are a society that is so badly fragmented we have lost touch with our family roots. At the same time, we have become quite cruel in many, many ways. Yet I doubt that the anonymous West Vancouver residents who complained about old folks in wheelchairs cluttering up the lobby at Beacon Hill Lodge are any more hypocritical, malicious, irresponsible or callous than the rest of us. The way we deal with old - people is ambiguous, to say the least. Everyone is quick to insist that. the best health care possible be provided for the elderly, and that’s good. But how many people who ship their aging parents off to a rest homie really weep at the loss? Come on! I’ve seen enough families go through all the agonizing about whether to send Granny to a place where she'll. get .the kirid of care she “‘needs” to _ know perfectly well that beneath tae pious utterances, the overriding urge is to get Granny the hell: out of: the house ‘where ‘she’s driving everyone batty. : For. openers, it is a rare © situation indeed where a wife loves ‘her husband’s mother with. the same deep-rooied loyalty that the husband . feels—or sometimes feels. And vice-versa. Mothers and mothers-in-law are two dif- ferent species. So there is almost bound to be a divi- sion of opinion about how ‘long - to-. keep: Granny or ‘Grandpa around the family : hearth... a The truth is, we're. nota’ primitive tribal. society ‘any longer; The" family ‘unit is _ simply not as sacred as it us- ed to. be, and ‘for the very good reason that we* don’t need. to band together ‘around the canipfire to fight off, wild beasts .and “other. - tribes,- nor bend together in *. FAB WAL and many more "Phone orders ° “welcomed 266-1429 . Morley Charles & Associates 1 20% OFF ALL WALLCOVERINGS | g AND FABRICS — over 1000 Bl books & samples to choose from! ° Ralph Lauren, Brunschwig & Fils Greeff, Schumacher, Van Luit Stroheim & Romann, Kravet North Shore News all guilty of neglecting elders harness to pull the plow. Families, especially in a country. like Canada, are scattered from here to near- eternity. I have relatives down east whom I’ve seen searcely a half dozen times in my adult life—and so what? I read somewhere recently that a study showed mcst young people nowa- days can’t come up with the given names of both sets of grandparents. I know I can’t, and I’m hardly a spr- ing chicken. The ostracization of the old—and that’s what we're talking about-—has become so nearly complete that peo- ple in their prime actually find the sight of the aged and infirm bothersome, if not repellent. That’s because we don't see old people ia wheelchairs very often in public, do we? They’re locked away some- where, in places (if they’re lucky) like. scenic Beacon clothing. affordables P 2433 West 4Ist Ave., Vancouver (Kernsdale) TEL. 266-3334 Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9-5° Sat. 10-5 Sun, [2.5 VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS WELCOMED Tne. mported designer fabrics, . ideal for draperies, bedspreads. upholstery, Hill Lodge. We're just not used to them. By the way, I think anonymous letters are the pits. I get enough of them myself. It means the person or persons who penned the message don’t have the jam to attach their names to their viewpoints. That’s either because they're afraid to risk being mocked in public, look like a fool, or have to live with their ridiculous opi- nions being known. (It’s painful.) The sight of ‘‘unhappy- looking old people... waiting for death’ at Beacon Hill Lodge may not be ‘‘in keep- ing with West Vancouver’’ in the view of the gutless let- ter-writers living around ‘Clyde Avenue, but, I’m sorry, it is very much in keeping with West Van- couver, as well as every other suburb in Canada. Those old people have been basically cast out of the yin stock Vancouver's i original discounter of sutrounding homes, where in ancient times they would have lived, mingling with the general population instead of being concentrated—and that’s the word—in institu- tional ghettoes for the aged. I mean,. how many households in West Van have three generations of family living under the same roof? Damn few! the world. exhibitry, LOOK FOR THE B.C. MOBILE PAVILION IN YOUR COMMUNITY. IT’S A“PREVIEW ON WHEELS” OF THE LARGER PAVILION. OUR MOBILE HAS BROUGHT THE EXPO THEME TO 15 B.C. COMMUNITIES IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS. SPONSORED BY: NORTH SHORE The outrageous notion that some potted palm trees should be stuck up in the Beacon Hill lobby so the neighbors won’t have to en- dure the sight of wheelchair-bound oldsters reminds me of Hannah ‘Arendt’s phrase about the banality of evil. That’s an evil thing to suggest! Out of sight, out of mind. IT’S OUR SHOW. Since the 1851 Crystal Palace Fair in London, World Expositions have linked together the nations of the world to celebrate achievements in new technology. Now, after 78 fairs have come and gone, it’s our turn, From May 2 to October 13, 1986, the eyes of the world will be on British Columbia as we host Expo 86 — a festival of events, innovations and entertainment. It’s an exciting tradition which B.C. is carrying on in grand style. But we mustn't forget that Expo is much more than an exciting event. [t's the greatest opportunity of this century for Britis! ; Columbia to promote our industries, skills and tourism potential to That means we have two major responsibilities at the B.C. Pavilion. The first is to create B.C’s home at the fair — a place where people from all over the province will feel comfortable and proud. The second is to play host to the world — and make the best possible impression on our visitors. Everyone in B.C. hasastake in this process, and we need to work together to put our best side forward. As shareholders, you need to stay advised on how we're doing — and how we're presenting you tothe world. 9: That’s what this report series is about. a WELCOME TO YOUR PAVILION. Let's begin by setting the stage —- the B.C. Pavilion Complex now under construction. We've selected the largest site at Expo — 4:5 hectares (U2 acres) of land between B.C. Place Stadium and False Creek. It’sa prime location, and the three pavilions we've built here will bea permanent legacy for us to enjoy in years to come. : To thrill residents and visitors alike, we designed our flagship pavilion as a voyage of discovery into all that is unique and unknown in the province. Called ‘Discovery B.C.,” this 98-foot high, glass-roofed building is home to the Discovery Trees — circular exhibit towers focusing on how our spirit of innovation has made us creators of sophisticated technology. Below is a 200-seat B.C. Restaurant; above, our 520-seat Theatre — the first in North America designed exclusively for ” the giant Showscan film medium. ; Here too is the Regional Marketplace, where the nine B.C. regions are represented in photomurals, theatre and audio visual displays. And because we want our guests to return to British Columbia after Expo, we've designed a Tourist.Information Centre complete with computer terminals and hosts, located close by. There's more. Next to Discovery B.C. is the Challenge Pavilion offering a reflection of our economic past and future. There is also a Conference Facility for trade delegations, and a Business Information Centre to brief them on investment opportunities in B.C. All this is clustered around the Plaza of Nations, a paved and covered area where up to 10,000 people can gather for major ceremonies and special presentations. WE’RESTEAMING AHEAD. Our pavilionsare up and 70 percent complete. Exhibitry is in the fabrication stage and our programs are in motion, By February, 1986, we'll be installing exhibitry for our May opening. This is it, British Columbia. Our time to shine. Next month: Our world class psscit THE HONOURABLE DON PHILLIPS, MINISTER RESPONSIBLE 2 can NEWS It amounts to rendering the old into un-person status. Airbrushing them away. Burying them alive. All these images are true, I] think, but this isn’t to point a finger at any ‘‘concerned West Van- couver residents’? in par- ticular, assuming they ever became visible themselves. See Canadian Page &